Playtex

Playtex

Playtex Products logo (top), Playtex Apparel logo
Product type	feminine care baby care underwear
Owner	Hanesbrands Edgewell Personal Care
Country	United States
Introduced	1947; 77 years ago (1947)
Related brands	Hawaiian Tropic
Previous owners	International Latex Corp. Playtex Products Inc.
Registered as a trademark in	United States, Canada
Tagline	Making Every Day Better (feminine and infant care) Who Knows You Like We Do? (bras)
Website	www.playtex.com

Playtex is an American brand name for undergarments, baby products, gloves, feminine hygiene products, and sunscreen. The brand began in 1947 when International Latex Corporation (ILC) created a division named Playtex to produce and sell latex products. Playtex was the first to advertise undergarments on national television in 1955, written by Howard Shavelson at Ogilvy and Mather, and the first to show a woman wearing only a bra from the waist up in a commercial in 1977. They developed space suits for the Apollo program.

Playtex-branded tampons were introduced in the 1960s and became the primary competition to incumbent Tampax. Playtex invented the plastic tampon applicator in 1973. It was one of the tampon manufacturers that were sued for aggressively advertising over-absorbent tampons that led to toxic shock syndrome.

Playtex was acquired by Esmark in 1975, and then by Beatrice Foods in 1985. A year later, it was acquired for $1.25 billion, and its cosmetics brands were sold to Revlon. In 1988, Playtex split into Playtex Apparel Inc. and Playtex Products LLC. Playtex Apparel was sold to Sara Lee Corporation in 1991, and to Hanesbrands in 2007.